Valsartan Manufacturers to Face Consumer Fraud Claims

Valsartan manufacturers will have to face fraud claims over the contamination of a blood pressure drug, but consumers in multidistrict litigation must drop claims against distributors, a New Jersey federal judge has ruled.

The valsartan multidistrict litigation (MDL) challenges several companies’ roles in the contamination of blood pressure medications by a probable carcinogen, N‐nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The plaintiffs in the now consolidated class action lawsuits against the drug makers claim that pharmaceutical companies, including Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical, Prinston Pharmaceutical, Hetero Drugs, Mylan and Aurobindo Pharma, as well as Teva, Arrow Pharm Malta, Actavis Pharma, and more, should have included NDMA on the labels of their valsartan products.

If you or a loved one took valsartan between the years 2014 and 2018, you may benefit from joining a free valsartan lawsuit investigation.

In an order issued Friday, a federal judge found that the plaintiffs had sufficiently established, at least at this point in the litigation, that the manufacturers of the drug failed to inform consumers about the presence of the contamination.

“The massive contamination of Valsartan and subsequent concealment and misrepresentation of that contamination is at the very heart of this case,” an attorney for the consumers, told Law360.

However, class action claims against valsartan distributors were not sufficient at this point, ruled the judge, pointing out that wholesalers, as well as retail pharmacies, such as Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS Health, could not have known that they were selling contaminated products to consumers.

NDMA Contamination and FDA Recall

In 2018, it was first revealed that several lots of valsartan – an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) prescribed to treat high blood pressure – was contaminated with NDMA, a potential carcinogen. This contamination prompted a recall and was followed by numerous other recalls of ARBs such as valsartan, losartan, and irbesartan due to contamination with NDMA and other nitrosamine impurities.

Consumers claim that blood pressure medications containing the contaminated valsartan exposed them to a higher risk of cancer. The valsartan MDL alleges that the manufacturers should have known about the contamination earlier, exposing fewer consumers to the probable carcinogen.

In addition to moving forward with fraud claims against manufacturers, the plaintiffs chalked up another win earlier this year when the judge ruled that company emails about valsartan were admissible as evidence in the MDL.

Did you purchase contaminated valsartan products? We want to hear from you! Tell us what happened in the comment section below.

The Valsartan Contamination MDL is In re: Valsartan Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 1:19-md-02875, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

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